Johnny Depp Is Terrifying and Unrecognizable as Gangster Whitey Bulger in "Black Mass"

Published Apr 24, 2015 at 3:10 PM

Johnny Depp, is that you?

The 51-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor ditches the funnies and gets super serious...and super terrifying and creepy in the new drama "Black Mass," which sees him playing famed Boston mobster Whitey Bulger.

As seen in the trailer, posted on YouTube and other outlets Thursday, Depp is practically unrecognizable. Gone are his heartthrob looks–his character is balding and menacing, which pairs well with his chilling, evil laugh.

The actor had debuted his shocking movie look last summer, when he was photographed in his bald wig and makeup, kissing then-fiancee, now wife Amber Heard on the set of the movie.

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The movie is based on a true story. The real Whitey Bulger, an Irish-American who was born James Bulger, ran the Winter Hill crime gang in South Boston in the '70s and '80s. He collaborated with a corrupt FBI agent who provided him with information about the Italian-American mafia. In the "Black Mass" trailer, the character is dubbed "one of the most notorious gangsters in U.S. history."

The FBI captured Whitey in his home in Santa Monica, California in 2011 after a 26-year manhunt. In 2013, at age 84, a federal judge sentenced him to life in prison for a series of crimes, including 11 murders. In the trailer, Depp's character appears to show one man no mercy.

"He's a fascinating character," Depp told Collider last year. "It's not like anything I've done before, on that level. I'm very excited to slide into that skin for a little bit."

"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Whitey's brother, William Bulger, also known as Billy, who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate. The movie also stars "Fifty Shades of Grey's" Dakota Johnson, who plays Whitey's girlfriend, as well as Joel Edgerton as the FBI agent he works with, plus Juno Temple, Adam Scott and Kevin Bacon.